I'm working on a mineral lick for mule deer in West Texas to try to provide what they may lack.

At this point I'm going with 8 pounds of baking soda to 50 pounds of range or goat mineral chopped into the dirt. I've also seen folks use washing soda mixed with baking soda (washing = sodium carbonate and baking = bicarbonate which are the primary ingredients of Deer Cane).

I'll have separate granulated salt piles as well.

Any biologists out there with any input?

I always just buy a bag of livestock salt.

Phosphorus is the key.

Typical cattle block with trace minerals should be fine, wears better than loose mix, but maybe check with wildlife biologist experts to get their opinions.

Ag8086 said:

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Typical cattle block with trace minerals should be fine, wears better than loose mix, but maybe check with wildlife biologist experts to get their opinions.

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Agreed, trace mineral blocks are fine. No need to reinvent the wheel.

Old RV Ag said:

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Ag8086 said:

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Typical cattle block with trace minerals should be fine, wears better than loose mix, but maybe check with wildlife biologist experts to get their opinions.

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Agreed, trace mineral blocks are fine. No need to reinvent the wheel.

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This. I have a lick site and use three cattle mineral blocks in a triangle about three feet apart buried up to the top. I found that this allows some of the mineral to leach into the soil while exposing some as an attractant. This will essentially create a wallow. I don't hunt over this site and visit only 2-3 times a year but it seems to hold deer in my 300 acre place more so than I've seen in the past. Still experimenting.